Comments on: For Marketing: Dump The “We” Questions; Ask About “Them”

By: From Sales, A Marketing Lesson - The All Inbound Blog | The All Inbound Blog

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:35:48 +0000

[...] marketers, we must constantly ask questions. Curiosity about your customer and your community drives you to understand who they are, how they [...]

By: 20 Ways To Build Blog Community | soulati.com

20 Ways To Build Blog Community | soulati.com — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:31:22 +0000

[...] Help a newbie! When you see someone in your community struggling to get readers, commenters or topics, take them [...]

By: Are Only The Biggest Bloggers Worthy? | soulati.com

Are Only The Biggest Bloggers Worthy? | soulati.com — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:31:25 +0000

[...] about me…both physically and personality. My community supported me; yet I took no offense. Barrett Rossie, who writes at The All Inbound Blog and was recently featured on Follow Friday at Spin Sucks (his [...]

By: barrett

barrett — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 02:49:53 +0000

They have websites like that?
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By: Jayme Soulati

Jayme Soulati — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 01:56:45 +0000

This reminds me of those who write websites to toot their own horns instead of make the customer experience and message perfect for visitors.
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By: barrett

barrett — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 20:17:32 +0000

I’m going to get a tattoo that says “WIIFM”! If people would remember that, they’d get a lot more done. It is frustrating when you see the wasted opportunities. Thanks for chipping in, Davina, you’re right on point.
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By: Davina K. Brewer

Davina K. Brewer — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:58:46 +0000

If it’s not the customer, then who? That’s what so many companies don’t seem to get and the bigger, they just seem in service of the organization, self-serving all those wasted layers of structure. Anyone, anyone – employee, vendor, client, customer – has one question: WIIFM? Share what’s in it for them, work to be better for you by being better for them, then you’ve got something. FWIW.
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By: barrett

barrett — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:52:39 +0000

Ralph, I have not read “The Ultimate Question 2.0″ – I’ll put it on the list. I’m very interested in the Net Promoter idea. Haven’t had the chance to use it for a client but it makes great sense. Especially after having done jobs for companies whose clients just couldn’t wait to get out of their contracts!

I recently read a book based on a similar idea: The B2B Executive Playbook by Sean Geehan. He puts customer satisfaction, willingness to endorse you and help you develop new business at the core of a business strategy. I find this whole line of thinking pretty exciting.
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By: Ralph

Ralph — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:28:20 +0000

Interesting questions sir. Most, if not all of these, I see as great ways to work on your existing customer base. Push has never been the best way to deal with people in the consulting world (mine).

Once we feel all these approaches are in place maybe we also need to ask ourselves how we can ask our customer base to recommend us to their network as a way to grow business. Not sure if you’ve had a chance to peruse “The Ultimate Question 2.0″ or not. Something that asks some pointed questions about your relationships with your customers and whether they would actually recommend you and if not how to change that.

I have not put this into practice but the notion of a happy customer over one that feels slighted is kind of obvious. That I have put into practice and it works.
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By: barrett

barrett — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 19:36:28 +0000

So true, Bill. I’d even go further. Don’t just see if it fits, but figure out how the answers can help you innovate, change and grow. More later…

(added later…) Businesses that fall into the “we” trap are not just the ones who create pushy, even abusive messages designed to bully you into buying. It’s well meaning business people who have good products and services, but have never had to try. (Maybe someone else provide co-op marketing programs.) Or it’s startups that have come up with a nifty idea, but they really don’t know the market in an intimate way. A lot of entrepreneurs know their craft, but know the needs and feelings of their natural market.

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